I'd Kill For You
by n.n-Anime-n.n
Summary: Sakura has always been the 'Queen Bee' at her high school. She knew that it was only a matter of time before she made Sasuke hers; that is until a new girl shows up and steals the spotlight. When Sakura catches the guy that she's loved since grade school staring at this 'Nobody' a pool of jealousy wells up inside her. Will she let her jealousy rage out of control?
1. Chapter 1

I'd Kill For You

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**Thank you so much to my wonderful Beta, ShadowedSoulSpirit! She has helped me find direction for my fic. If it wasn't for her, this story wouldn't make any sense.**

**If you are confused, this story was previously 'Konoha High'. With SoulSpirit's help all of the chapters will be re-done!**

Summary: Sakura has always been the 'Queen Bee' at her high school. She knew that it was only a matter of time before she made Sasuke hers; that is until a new girl shows up and steals the spotlight. When Sakura catches the guy that she's loved since grade school staring at this 'Nobody' a pool of jealousy wells up inside her. Will she let it rage out of control? Or will she be able to overcome her emotions?

Warning: This fic is rated M for mature content, language, and violence.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

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Hinata POV

The ill-famed warning bell sounded in the halls. Students slammed lockers, waved to friends, and bolted to their respective classrooms. Sneakers squeaked across the tiled floor. Shouts rang across the hallways as friends attempted to get in a bit of last minute gossip and goodbyes.

There were those students that defied the bell. Regardless of the consequences, they trudged to the bathroom to double check their appearances or just to defy their inanimate master. They lingered in the halls with scowls on their faces until the last possible second.

The final bell rang, and a single student remained in the hallway clutching a stack of books to her chest. Hinata had no idea where her classroom was, nor who she should ask for help. Konoha High was a large school with a lot of self-absorbed students.

Taking a half step forward, Hinata wondered if perhaps she should just walk until someone happened upon her. It couldn't hurt.

"Hey! The bell has already rung!"

Hinata jumped and squealed while simultaneously dropping her books, holding her hands out in front of her, and spinning to face her accuser.

The blond in front of her scrunched her eyebrows in annoyance and popped her hip. Brushing her long hair away from her pale eyes with one hand and smoothing her school-issued black skirt with the clip board in her other, the girl looked Hinata up and down.

"You got a hall pass?" When Hinata shook her head to indicate that she did not have one the hall monitor pulled a pencil from her jacket pocket. "Guess I'll have to write you up."

"P-pleases. Today i-is my first day. I couldn't find my classroom!" Hinata steepled her forefingers together and fidgeted nervously. She couldn't believe that on her first day she was already getting in trouble!

"Jesus" The blond graciously crumpled the citation and tossed it into a nearby bin. "Of course I get stuck escorting the newbie." Muttering to herself, she motioned for Hinata to come closer. "Lemme see your schedule and I'll get you to the right class. After that it's up to you. I'm not your babysitter. This is high school and no one is going to walk you through it."

Nodding emphatically Hinata collected her books from the floor and scrambled after the hall monitor, who was holding the paper Hinata had handed her and was walking briskly away.

Hinata allowed her mind to run wild as she quickened her pace to follow the flaxen haired hall monitor.

The school was so big! The halls seemed to be a winding maze designed to confuse those who dared to attempt its navigation. She was thankful for the sassy blonde's help.

************First Hour************

Hinata blushed remembering how the girl named Ino had unceremoniously swung open a door labeled 213 and shoved her inside.

The teacher looked much too young (and irritated for that matter) to be teaching. He had lazily lifted an arm and pointed to an empty seat in the back of the class without even looking up from the book he was reading at his desk. Hinata suspected that it was smut from the glimpse she had caught of the cover.

Ino was gone before Hinata even had time to make it to her seat. The teacher uncrossed, and re-crossed his legs on top of his desk, and flipped the page of his book. Hinata glanced nervously about the room. This was supposed to be math, but the students seemed to be doing anything BUT math. Deciding that she didn't want to be embarrassed again, Hinata decided to spend the remainder of the hour focusing on the fire escape plan on the far wall. This way she would be able to get an idea of where her next class would be.

The hour seemed to fly by, and it seemed only a few minutes had passed when the bell sounded once again. The teacher didn't even look up from his book as students began filing out of the room. Hinata stood, collected her books, and made to head for the exit. Without warning, she felt herself knocked sideways. Her books flew from her arms, and Hinata squeezed her eyes shut tightly as the ground rushed up to catch her.

The force of the impact was jarring. Hinata was embarrassed and her bottom felt bruised.

"Watch out!" A girl with short pink hair huffed at Hinata. She didn't even stop to see if she was ok.

Hinata remained on the floor as tears pooled in her eyes. Today wasn't turning out the way she had hoped it would.

"Hey. You alright?" Hinata looked up to see that a goofy-looking kid with ridiculous eyebrows was holding his hand out to help her up. "Don't mind Sakura. She isn't normally like that" he explained while pulling her to her feet. Striking a pose, he gave Hinata a thumbs up and a creepy smile. "Allow me to escort you to your next class?"

Sakura's POV

Sakura was brooding. It wasn't as if this was a new development for her. Considering that her crush seemed to be constantly out of reach, she was always brooding. Today, however, there seemed to be a darker aura hanging over her. Students practically flung themselves against the walls in an attempt to avoid her.

Lithe hands yanked open the door that led to her second hour. She hadn't even stopped at the rest room to check her appearance. She wanted to get there as quickly as possible. She needed to talk to her best friend.

'_I never took you for the kind of girl that could be inflamed by jealousy so quickly' _Sakura growled at voice that echoed in her mind where only she could hear it.

"I'm not jealous" she let the words tumble out of her mouth in an aggravated tone.

"Who are you not jealous of?" Ino was sitting on the edge of her desk, twirling a bit of blonde hair around a slim finger and carrying on a one-sided conversation with a dark haired boy.

Sakura pivoted, and made her way over to the duo with haste.

"There's this girl. She's new…and I just don't know.. everyone seems so hung up on her already."

"Oh, you mean Hina-chan?" Ino smirked at Sakura.

Sakura inhaled sharply, her irritation building. Ino too? "How do you know who I'm talking about?"

Ino abandoned the shock of hair she had been caressing, and lifted her finger to point across the room. Both Sakura and Sasuke's eyes followed the action.

There sat 'Hinata-chan' as Ino called her. She was busily pretending to read her math book while Lee chatted her up. Sakura snorted and turned to face her friends. "See what I-" She stopped short when she noticed Sasuke.

He was still staring at Hinata. His eyes had a glazed over and vague look to them. "Sasuke?" Sakura whispered uncertainly.


	2. Chapter 2: Planting the Seed of Jealousy

**Thank you again ShadowedSoulSpirit for being the most wonderful Beta ever! I love you so much!**

**I hope you guys enjoy the second chapter. Don't worry; things will start heating up in the next chapter. Review please! I love hearing from my readers!**

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Chapter 2: Planting the Seed of Jealousy

Sakura POV

********Lunch********

Dropping her tray lightly on the table, Sakura glared at the oblivious blond on the opposite side. He was currently involved in a very animated, yet one-sided, conversation with his best friend. He was describing, in vivid detail, the ramen that he had for dinner last night.

"Naruto!" His head snapped up and his eyes filled with fear as Sakura slammed her fist down on the table. "You snuck into the girls' dorm last night and drew a mustache on my picture! That was the volleyball championship! Do you have any idea how-" Her raging was suddenly cut short by a chorus of laughter. Naruto looked incredibly relieved that Sakura's attention was drawn away from him.

The new girl from first hour had tripped over someone's outstretched foot and spilled her juice down the front of her white shirt. From three tables away Sakura could see the poor girl blushing as tears formed in her eyes. Kiba, the notorious flirt, was busily wiping at the stain, which seemed to aggravate the girl even more.

"I-it's alright. I can get it myself". The brunette tried to gently push his hands away. Kiba would have none of that.

Sakura walked up behind Kiba, grabbed him by the back of his shirt, and proceeded to fling him away. Making a quick decision, Sakura introduced herself.

"Hi. I'm Sakura. Would you like to sit with me and my friends?" Without waiting for an answer, Sakura pulled the brunette to her table. "This is Sasuke" gesturing to the dark haired, dark eyed boy across the table "and this is Naruto", Sakura pointed to the blond. "Everyone else should be here soon".

Naruto turned to Hinata, "Oi! Who's this, Sakura?"

Shooting him an icy glare, Sakura replied to him, "This is Hina-chan".

"Just Hinata i-is fine."

"Hina-chan! I'm glad you found us. I thought I was going to have to search for you. Ya know, since you're getting lost all the time." Sakura quickly hid the look of annoyance that crossed her features as Ino joined them at the table. Ino sat next to Hinata, and lightly bumped her shoulder.

Sakura watched as the girl smiled timidly and turned her face to stare at the table. This could definitely work to her advantage. What was that old saying…?

"_Bitch wants to fuck your man, rip her throat out."_ Sakura shook her head. That definitely wasn't right, but she wasn't disagreeing with the logic.

Sakura smiled deviously and turned to assess the situation. Ino was giving Hinata helpful tips about classwork and maneuvering the halls in that condescending voice of hers. Sakura would never understand how Ino could be so nice, while trying to act so mean.

Then again, wasn't that just the opposite of what Sakura was planning on doing?

Hinata's POV

Hinata had spent most of her lunch talking to Ino. There was less talking on Hinata's end, but she didn't really mind. Shortly after Ino had sat down, two more boys showed up. One named Shikimaru was Ino's boyfriend, and the other was his best friend. Hinata couldn't remember his name now.

Evidently they all usually sat together at a large table located at the back of the lunch room. Hinata was surprised as Sakura's willingness to include her. It had been only this morning that she had bowled her over in her haste to exit the classroom.

Hinata supposed it was most likely an accident. It was only the first day of school. There was no way she already harbored a grudge against her. No. It was definitely an accident.

Snapping back to reality, Hinata examined her reflection in a floor length mirror. Sakura and Ino were going on a double date tonight, and invited Hinata to tag along. Even though Hinata had protested, saying that she would only be in the way, Sakura would hear nothing of it.

And so Hinata stripped out of her school uniform and pulled on a long sleeved t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Sakura suggested that she dress warm. Hinata supposed that she would have worn a chicken suit if Sakura had asked her to. The only thing she wanted was to be accepted. Sakura gave her that acceptance.

A light knock sounded at the door, snapping her from her reverie. Hinata rushed to answer it. She found Ino on the other side dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top. Upon further inspection she also realized Ino was wearing tennis shoes.

"What are you wearing, Hina-chan?"

"Sakura said i-it was going t-to be cold" Hinata answered as Ino walked past her.

Shutting the door behind her friend, Hinata followed the other girl into her room. Ino was rummaging through her closet.

"Don't you want to make a good first impression on everyone? That is definitely not what you should wear."

"I-I thought w-we were going to the movies?" Ino rolled her eyes at Hinata.

"Is that what Sakura told you to get you to come? God that girl annoys me. I'll pick you something different to wear. Something cuter."

Hinata nodded her head, even though the other girl was focused on completely destroying the clothes that Hinata had spent hours organizing. Shirts were left in piles, pants thrown over her head, and shoes tossed about.

"Change into this. Quickly." Hinata caught the shorts, shirt, and shoes tossed at her. "We aren't going the movies."

"B-but what about Shikimaru? A-and Sakura's boyfriend?"

"We were never planning on going to the movies. Sakura went too far having you dress up. And she doesn't even have a boyfriend." Ino moved around Hinata's room looking at pictures that were scattered about. "Hurry up. We don't have much time. Curfew is in a few minutes."

"Curfew?" Hinata looked at Ino with a surprised face. "I-I..." Hinata didn't like the idea of leaving school grounds, and certainly not if they weren't allowed.

"You didn't think the headmaster would let us leave the school grounds this late at night, did you?" Ino smirked at Hinata's look of disbelief.

If she didn't go with Ino tonight, she might lose her new friends. Then she would be alone again. Getting caught out after curfew and dealing with the possible wrath of her father sounded better than being alone. Hinata glanced down at the clothes she was holding and shrieked.

"I-I can't wear this! I d-don't even know why I have this!" Actually, Hinata knew exactly where the offending article of clothing had come from. Her little sister, Hanabi had practically guilt tripped Hinata into buying it. Although she had agreed to buy it, Hinata had never worn the shirt, and for good reason. It hardly qualified as a shirt.

"Just put it on. You definitely have the body for it."

Hinata blushed and once again stripped. Ino wandered into the kitchen while Hinata changed into the jean shorts and tight black belly shirt. Pulling on a pair of tennis shoes, Hinata joined Ino in the kitchen.

Ino was busily eating a sandwich she had made for herself. Swallowing the bite in her mouth, Ino grinned.

"Adorable! Hina-chan, you are so adorable!" Hinata blushed and looked at the floor.

"Pull your hair back, though." Hinata trudged to the bathroom and pulled her hair into a high pony. Upon inspecting herself in the mirror, she decided that she did look rather cute.

Ino tossed a sandwich in Hinata's general direction and headed for the door.

Hinata obligingly followed Ino from the room, locking the apartment behind them. Her father had paid extra for Hinata to have her own place. She didn't have to share like most of the other students. While Hinata didn't think it was necessarily fair, she wouldn't dare argue with her father's decision.

"Ino-san?" They were walking at a brisk pace away from the girls' living quarters.

"What is it, Hina-chan?" Ino's voice was gentle.

"Wh-why would Sakura tell me to wear that?" Hinata didn't want to think badly of her new friend, but that didn't seem like a very nice thing to do.

Ino shot a knowing grin over her shoulder. "I think she's jealous. Now hurry up!"

Hinata wracked her brain trying to figure out what Sakura could be jealous of. Sakura was thin. Petite would be a more accurate description. Her skin was flawless satin, and her eyes were orbs of jade. Maybe it was her breasts? Hinata's face burned as she wrapped her arms around her ample chest in a self-conscious action, and quickened her pace.


	3. Chapter 3: A Plan Set in Motion

Chapter 3: A Plan Set in Motion

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**Thank you ShadowedSoulSpirit! You are the most wonderful Beta ever! You help me work through my ideas and put them onto paper in an order that makes sense! **

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Hinata's POV

Hinata tore her hand from Ino's and slid to a halt. The two girls had been running for what seemed like ages. It was after curfew, and Hinata was worried about getting caught.

It wasn't as if they would just give her a slap on the wrist and send her on her way. They would notify Hinata's father. That was the thing that scared her the most. Her father would give her _that_ look. The one that said he was disappointed again. Hinata didn't know if she could stand seeing that look on her father's face again. It made her heart quail thinking about it.

And what if someone else caught them? Hinata's mind raced with the horrible possibilities. The world was full of people just waiting to do bad things. Hinata was alone with Ino. They could very easily be taken advantage of in this situation.

"What are you doing?!" Ino had stopped a few yards ahead of Hinata before turning back. Her long hair was braided down one side of her shoulder and shone in the moonlight. Her inquisitive blue eyes searched Hinata's own pearl orbs.

"W-wait a sec. I need to catch my breath." She was currently bent over with her hands on her knees. Her lungs were burning, and sweat dripped from her raven locks. Her breaths came out in little rasps as she struggled to calm her racing pulse.

"We don't have time to wait around!" Ino took a few steps back towards Hinata, and motioned for her to get up.

"Where are we going anyways?" Hinata didn't like the idea of leaving school grounds at night with a potential juvenile delinquent to an unknown destination. She straightened, but remained where she was.

They had ran around the back of the girl's dormitory and squeezed through a crack in the moldering wall. Hinata genuinely thought her boobs weren't going to fit. Fortunately, or possibly not quite so fortunately, they had. After running and running behind Ino, Hinata now found herself in some sort of dirty alley.

The cobblestone beneath Hinata's tiny feet was strewn with bottles and trash of unknown origin. A glass bottle lay in a pile of shattered glass that looked to belong to one of the bottle's mates. The glass glittered eerily, making Hinata squint and look away.

The sight she found a little further to the right wasn't any better. A viscous black fluid ran between the cracks and stained the stones. Hinata shuddered to think what vile substance had turned the water such an inky color.

They had left the comforting circle of the last street light some ways back, and had to rely on their night vision and the small amount of light the moon offered to navigate the back streets of Konoha.

Hinata's nose wrinkled at the acrid smell of garbage which filled every bit of air. Although she wasn't snobby, Hinata came from money and wasn't used to seeing, or smelling, this part of society. Their surroundings didn't seem to dissuade the blonde from closing the remaining distance between them, wrapping her hand tightly around Hinata's and tugging her forward.

"You'll find out when we get there! Now hurry up! Everyone is waiting on us!" Ino pulled Hinata from her bent position and started dragging her down the street. "I swear to god I'm going to make you work out like three times a week after tonight. This is crazy."

"S-sorry." Hinata allowed Ino to pull her back into a quick trot. Although she was far from fat, her cheeks tinged with pink thinking about how out of shape she was compared to the other girls. She had been sent away to a strange boarding school far away from home because of her inadequacy in her father's eyes. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint her new friends as well.

"I-Ino. Why a-are-" Hinata's question was cut off by the sound of a man's raucous shouting a little ways behind them. Glass shattered, and the voice was joined by another. They sounded drunk, and they were arguing.

Ino gave Hinata a look that clearly said, 'Do you want to be standing here having this conversation when whoever that is strolls along and notices two helpless girls in a dark alley?'

Hinata mentally shook her head that, no, she definitely did not.

She quickened her pace, much to Ino's delight, and soon she could see the entrance to a tunnel before her. The sound of the man's voice had faded long ago, yet she couldn't help but look back. The street was dark. The only sound was that of a cricket proudly chirping in the desolate night.

Turning back to the tunnel, Hinata watched as Ino ducked into the dripping cavern and disappeared. Taking a deep breath, she followed behind her. She didn't even have time to contemplate following behind a girl she barely knew into a very secluded area.

Sakura's POV

Sakura felt a frustration growing inside her that she was finding hard to contain. She had carefully planned this whole night. Sasuke wouldn't look at Hinata like that ever again if she had her way.

After picking an outfit for Hinata that would hide her curves, Sakura had sent Ino to collect the soft-spoken brunette. Sakura proceeded to notify all of her friends, and some people that she didn't really like, that they were having a party in the tunnels to welcome 'Hina-chan'.

She had painstakingly devised a plan to thoroughly embarrass the little bitch. She smiled to herself thinking about how awesome it was going to be. She knew she could rely on Ino to get Hinata to the tunnels safely and in a timely manner.

Sakura was standing in the room at the end of a tunnel, directing the boys as they built a fire. It seemed to take several of them to get it going. Kiba and Shikimaru gathered the wood from a large pile at the back of the little cavern. Shino painstakingly straightened the rocks that would keep the fire from wandering, while Choji munched on a bag of potato chips and pretended to help. Neji watched Sasuke and Naruto fight over a tinder box for a few minutes before snatching it from them and going to work. Lee skipped around the room singing some silly song and generally annoying everyone.

There were several overhead grates designed to drain the rain water into the tunnels that would easily keep the room from becoming overly smoky. It hadn't rained in ages, so there was no danger of getting wet. Tenten had climbed up to the top of the tunnel from the outside, which involved crossing the bridge it ran under and then hopping down onto the actual tunnel, and checked to make sure nothing had grown over or clogged the grates.

The fire suddenly blazed to life, and Sakura blinked at the brightness. Naruto and Sasuke were having a one-sided argument. From what Sakura could hear it was just Naruto claiming that he was the best at starting fires, while Sasuke ignored him and stared at the entrance of the tunnel. Neji was staring open-mouthed at the two.

It seemed like Sasuke was waiting for someone. She knew it wouldn't be Ino.

Sakura felt her anger flare again, but quickly quelled it. Sasuke wouldn't be so interested in the large-chested bimbo after tonight. She had every intention of making Hinata seem undesirable to Sasuke.

She had been working for years to gain Sasuke's attention without success. She would be damned if some girl was just going to walk in and steal his affection.

Sakura smiled the kind of smile that you would expect to see on a maniacal killer, and watched the entrance. She could hear Ino and Hinata's voices. They were almost here. Inwardly cheering, Sakura waved a hand to Naruto. He was one of her biggest pieces in this game. He was a complete idiot, and totally devoted to her.

"Naruto! Hey. So, I had an idea on how we could make tonight more memorable for Hinata." The blonde had edged his way around the fire, and stood less than six inches away from Sakura. Ignoring this, she smiled sweetly at him and batted her long dark lashes at the poor guy.

"Really? What is it?"

"Well, I thought maybe we could play a drinking game," she held her hand up to indicate that Naruto should shut his trap when he tried to interrupt her, "but Hina-chan is so shy. She probably won't want to drink. Do you think you could help me convince her?" By 'help' Sakura clearly meant that he would be doing all the work.

Naruto grinned at her like an idiot, and nodded his head. "Great! I put a couple bottles of vodka over there by the blanket." Sakura indicated a corner at the back of the room. Naruto raced off the retrieve the alcohol while Sakura mentally congratulated herself. Step one was complete.

As Naruto rushed off, Ino and Hinata emerged from the darkness of the tunnel. Sakura watched with some satisfaction as both girls shielded their sensitive eyes. Sakura waved the girls over. Ino smiled and said something to Hinata which made her blush.

Sakura's hand stilled, and the fake smile that she had plastered on faltered. Hinata was not wearing what she had picked out for her. Oh no, she was wearing something that was much cuter. Sakura glared at Ino as she approached. Hinata was heading towards Lee, who stood by the fire relatively near Sasuke. Evidently his song was over.

"Ino!" She hissed, "What is she wearing?" Sakura felt very underdressed compared to the outfit Hinata wore.

She was wearing a knee length skirt, a pair of black flats, and a red t-shirt. She had intended to look better than Hinata tonight. Oh, well. She would just have to make this work to her advantage. She could tell that Hinata wasn't really comfortable in her clothes. If she was already feeling uncomfortable, then it would just make it that much easier for Sakura to embarrass her.

A drunk, scantily clad Hinata would be easy to embarrass.

"I thought she should look cute for tonight." Ino answered with a shrug.

With that one comment, Sakura knew that she couldn't rely on her bestie to help her sabotage Hinata.


	4. Chapter 4: It Sucks When You Lose

**Than**k **you so much ShadowedSoulSpirit! You are the most wonderful Beta ever! You help me fix all the little things.**

**Sorry for the delay in updating, everyone! Please read and review!**

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Chapter 4: It Sucks When You Lose

Hinata's POV

Hinata followed Ino through the dingy tunnel and into a large room. There was a fire blazing somewhere quite near the middle. The intensity of the fire forced 1Hinata to lift her slender hand and shield her eyes while they adjusted to the sudden brightness. With her sight momentarily gone, Hinata's other senses picked up the slack.

She could feel Ino's shoulder lightly touching hers as they stood together in the entryway.

The sound of wood crackling in the roaring fire was almost drowned out by the excited voices of several people. Hinata thought she might have even heard a mouse squeak somewhere. She cringed at the thought.

The air was clear, but the scent of fire still hung heavily. Hinata opened her eyes and quickly scanned the room. She immediately felt her vision drawn back to the fire, and as a direct result, into a set of smoldering onyx eyes beyond it.

"He's staring at you." Ino teased while grinning wildly.

Hinata felt her cheeks burning as she tore her gaze away and focused on Ino.

"So w-what are we d-doing?" She was curious as to why she was down here, and she wanted to change the subject to something less embarrassing.

Ino shrugged carelessly, "Well, we all come down here to hang out sometimes. It's somewhere we can go to get away from school, ya know?"

"Hmm. Uh huh." Hinata wasn't really listening. Her gaze had been drawn back to the fire, where she let her thoughts tumble around without direction. "Eh?" Her eyes snapped back to Ino as her mind again jolted at the thought of getting caught out passed curfew.

Ino giggled, "Go socialize." She gave her a gentle push in the direction of the blazing inferno.

Hinata stumbled forward a few awkward steps before catching her balance. She looked back to Ino for reassurance and possibly a little more direction, and found that she was already making her way over to Sakura. She followed her friend's progress with curious eyes for a moment, noting how her hips swayed with each confident step she took. Hinata inwardly sighed, wishing she could be more confident like Ino.

Forcing those thoughts from her mind, Hinata turned back towards the bonfire. She already knew that Sasuke stood directly opposite the fire from where she was approaching. She could feel the intensity of his gaze, as if he were staring into her very soul.

Standing near enough so as to project invitation to join them, yet not so close as to make the boy feel crowded, stood Lee and another guy. Lee seemed to be challenging the other guy to a duel of some sort.

Avoiding Sasuke for reasons not entirely known even to herself, Hinata skirted the fire, and made her way to Lee. She timidly stood a few feet from them and watched the boys from the corner of her eyes.

"Hinata-san!" Hinata practically jumped out of her skin as a hand came down on her shoulder. While it wasn't a particularly rough gesture, she reflexively rubbed the spot while turning to meet the gaze of a brown haired, brown eyed girl. It was someone she had yet to meet.

"Hinata! How rude of me! I should have realized you were there!" Lee wailed while pulling at his obnoxiously cut black hair. His eyes were filled with tears at the thought of Hinata feeling left out.

Giving a timid smile, and a half wave, Hinata blushed. "I-it's alright, Lee-san. You w-were in the middle of a conversation. It w-would have been rude for m-me to interrupt."

She took in her friend's attire with a quick glance. He wore a bright green tee with orange letters emblazoned across the front shouting 'Obey', and a pair of blue jeans.

"This is Tenten." His voice bordered on formal at this point, and Hinata turned to take in Tenten's embarrassed look.

"It's nice to meet you." Her face lit up with a genuine smile as she held out a hand to Hinata.

The guy with long brown hair cleared his throat, effectively hoarding all of the current available attention.

"Allow me to introduce Neji," Hinata wondered at the stilted nature of Lee's words as he introduced the brown haired guy he had been arguing with. It seemed as if every word pained him.

The boy named Neji nodded his head at Hinata.

"As I understand it, Hinata-sama, we are cousins," at the confused look she gave him he politely continued. "Your father and mine are brothers. Let it suffice to say that they had quarreled over an age old disagreement and decided to part ways. They have not talked since. It does not surprise me that Hiashi-sama would not deem it necessary to mention us." Hinata's mind whirled at the new bit of information. While Neji's actual words implied impoliteness, his tone was low and respectful.

"Never mind him" Tenten tugged at Hinata's hand. "So, do you like the school?"

"Um" She was saved from answering by Naruto and Kiba bowling Tenten over. She landed hard on the ground

"Hey!" Tenten jumped up to scold the two boys, but they completely ignored her in favor of verbally abusing each other.

"Say that again, Dog Breath." Naruto threw the first proverbial punch as Tenten diligently brushed the dirt from her pink silk tank top and dark denim jeans.

"Alright. I said you're a fucking dumb ass, and there's no way you're ever going to find a girl willing to wake up to that ugly face every morning."

"U-um" Hinata bashfully interjected. "I don't think Naruto's face is ugly." Her face inflamed as everyone turned to look at her with open mouths.

"Tch" Neji scoffed and crossed his arms.

Tenten giggled shamelessly.

"Hina-chan, how could you?" Kiba held a hand to his heart and looked at her imploringly. Hinata steepled her fingers and looked at the ground.

"Alright!" Naruto slung his arm around her slim shoulders and grinned. "Now that that's settled, let's get this party started."

Everyone came out of their moment of disbelief, and agreed with Naruto. From seemingly nowhere, he produced a bottle of tequila and a pack of cards, "train!" Everyone grumbled except Hinata. She just stood next to him wondering what the hell a train had to do with alcohol and playing cards. She had a feeling she was about to find out.

Sakura's POV

Sakura found herself smiling like an idiot.

Everyone was totally smashed, and everyone included herself. However, she was proud to note that her thought process was still functioning just fine.

After several games of Train, and everyone had a good buzz going, they began to pass the bottle around and just chat. Sakura noted that Shino, Shikimaru, and Choji never showed up, but in the same moment dismissed it. It didn't alter her plans.

Kiba was lying in a corner puking, his brown shirt discarded next to him. It seemed to be an effort to keep the puke off of it.

Lee was as energetic as ever, yet every word that came out of his mouth was gibberish. He seemed to be the center of the amusement currently as he batted at the fire and screamed unknown obscenities at it.

Neji stood swaying by the fire glaring at Lee, while Tenten held his elbow to keep him upright. It seemed to be taking all of her effort to manage it.

Sasuke had left to take a piss.

Ino sat a little ways off from the fire with Hinata next to her. She couldn't keep her mouth shut when she was drunk, and Hinata had proven to be a good listener.

Naruto stood next to Sakura, watching a beetle crawl across the floor.

Sakura took all of this in with a quick glance. "Naruto." Her voice was high and singsongy.

"Hmmm" his gaze didn't lift from the beetle.

In a fit of annoyance, Sakura lifted her foot and ground the innocent bug into oblivion. Naruto's blue gaze snapped up to meet Sakura's scornful jade eyes. "Pay attention." He nodded. She could tell he was pretty far gone. "Anyways. What do you think about Hinata?"

"Hina-chan?" Sakura winced at the nickname, but nodded. "She's really nice, and cute" He nodded to himself in agreement, and knelt to poke the corpse of the beetle with a stick.

"Is that so?" A smirk twisted across Sakura's pretty mouth, "she said you were cute too, didn't she?"

"Oh yeah!" He bounced to his feet, "she did!"

"That's not all she said." His eyes glued to her own, waiting for her to finish. "She said she wanted to kiss you, but she was to shy."

Naruto's mouth opened in a little 'o'. "S-should I..I mean…" Sakura nodded and gave him a little push towards the girls. Inside her head she was cackling with glee.

As Naruto reached her side, he scratched the back of his head and turned back to Sakura for reassurance. She waved him forward while smiling wickedly. Naruto took that as a sign to go ahead. He knelt down in front of Ino and Hinata, and without attempting to start a conversation with either of them, bent his head and smashed his lips onto Hinata.

Hinata jerked backwards, and her sudden movement carried Naruto with her. They landed in a heap on the floor, with Naruto cradling the back of her head and still kissing her.

Sakura was pleased to find that Sasuke had just came back from peeing, and only saw that the two were a tangle of limbs on the floor with their mouths connected. He frowned, turned around and left the way he had come.

Sakura would have squealed in glee if her best friend hadn't been glaring daggers at her. Abandoning this method, Ino turned and shoved Naruto off Hinata, whose eyes were now watering furiously.

Naruto sat back on his heels, and watched as Ino helped the dark haired girl to her feet and pulled her away.

The plan couldn't have gone better. Hinata was crying, and leaving the party. Everyone was too drunk to realize what Sakura had done. Everyone besides Ino. Oh well. She wouldn't say anything.

Figuring she should at least go pretend to be concerned for Hinata, Sakura followed the two girls outside. She halted at the end of the tunnel, and pressed herself into the darkness there. They were talking about her, and Sasuke was there!

"W-why would she do that though." Hinata was struggling to hold her tears in. That gave Sakura a little bit of satisfaction.

"I told you, she's a jealous bitch." Sakura noted how blunt Ino's description was of her. It seemed that even her best friend was turning on her.

Sasuke didn't say anything, but he laid a comforting hand on Hinata's shoulder. Sakura felt the small flame of jealousy that had been ignited earlier that morning blaze into a roaring inferno just by witnessing that one small touch.

"You should take her back. I'm going to talk to Sakura." Sakura felt the tears clog her throat as she watched Sasuke gently guide Hinata away by the back of her arm.

As soon as they were a good enough distance away that they were unlikely to hear anything, Sakura stepped from the shadows. "How could you, Ino!" Although it was a whisper, it was laced with venom. Tears began to make tracks down her porcelain cheeks. Ino didn't look surprised to see her. "You're supposed to be my best friend, and…and you betrayed me!"

Ino shrugged her shoulders, "I am your best friend but-"

"You aren't! Or you wouldn't have sent him away with HER!" Sakura's voice broke, and she couldn't stand it anymore.

The worst thing was that Ino seemed to be encouraging Hinata. She seemed to be encouraging Sasuke's mild interest like someone would blow on coals to ignite a fire.

She turned away from the girl that had been her best friend as long as she could remember, and she fled.

"Sakura.." She heard Ino's pleading voice, but she didn't stop, and Ino didn't pursue her.

All she could think was that if simply embarrassing Hinata wasn't enough, and her best friend was going to turn on her, then she would just have to try harder. She would have to play dirtier to get what she wanted.


	5. Chapter 5: The Beginning of the End

**I'm sorry this took me longer than usual to update! I had some real trouble with this chapter!**

**It is only thanks to ShadowedSoulSpirit, my wonderful beta, that I was able to get through this chapter.**

**Review please! I would love to hear what you think.**

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Chapter 5: The Beginning of the End

Mysterious POV

In the seediest part of Konoha, a tall figure sauntered through a filthy alley way. The night was blanketed in darkness so heavy, the street lights seemed dimmer. The globes of light strained against the darkness with all their might, yet they only managed to cast a faint glow that threw everything into eerie shadows.

Mice scurried to find shelter as a pair of worn steel-toed boots kicked an empty soda can from their path. The clattering reverberated dissonantly off the walls.

The breeze worked diligently to lift the stench of rotting garbage from the air, whipping a long black coat on its back and ruffling silver strands of hair. The figure cheerfully whistled a tune.

Upon reaching the end of the alley, the figure stopped. Teeth glinted in the illumination provided by a single light bulb affixed to the wall next to the metal door where he stood. The man grinned sadistically and addressed the small hunched form of the man guarding the door, his violet eyes pinning the man against the wall. "What's new, Vern? Oh, right..nothing." Laughter bubbled forth from the silver haired man's throat.

"H-h-he-hell-h-hello, H-h-h" The poor guy named Vern couldn't get the words out. They seemed to be stuck in his throat in a very uncomfortable lump.

The laughter died, leaving the air frigid and void of all noise save that of a cricket chirping. "Oh shut the fuck up and let me in."

Vern nodded, and as sweat trickled down his mop of graying hair onto his pudgy and wrinkled face, he drew a key from somewhere within the tattered brown robes he wore. "R-r-right a-a-away". His bony fingers trembled as he inserted the little golden key into the lock of the heavy iron door. With a faint click, Vern removed the key and stepped aside.

The tall, lanky, silver-haired man entered without another word. The door closed quickly behind him, blocking out the cool night air.

Sweat permeated the air as half naked bodies writhed to the pounding music. The lights were turned down low, and that combined with the acrid smoke that hung thick in the air, made visibility quite low.

Making his way through the thrashing crowd, the man found an empty bar stool and sat upon it. His long legs dangled casually on either side as he propped his elbows against the counter and rested his pale face in his hands, his shit-eating grin still firmly in place.

The stools to either side of him were crowded with patrons. 'Patrons' was a rather loose term when describing the people gathered here. While it certainly looked like a nightclub with teenaged girls dancing, and drunken men ogling them, that was only a front.

The 'night club' was really a hangout for the biggest and baddest criminals in all of Konoha. Actually, it would be more truthful to say in all of the Land of Fire.

Jobs for assassinations, theft, and other crimes were posted on a large bulletin board at the back of the club to the right of the bar. Those interested in using their talents to make money illegally, or those incapable for one reason or another of earning their wages through legal work, would choose a job from the board. It was all on a first come first served basis. If another freelancer happened to be on the same job, then it was up to the individuals involved to finish the job in a timely manner.

However, there were rare occasions when the employer wished to meet with whoever would be completing the job. Sometimes they would request a certain person if they had previously completed a job for them.

A man with long golden hair and startling blue eyes sat two bar stools away from the silver-haired man, idly tapping a purple painted nail on his empty glass. He didn't seem to be aware of his surroundings, but rather engrossed in his melting ice.

The stool directly to the left of the blond was filled by a pale, auburn haired boy who was busily glaring in the opposite direction.

After ordering a drink from the busty brunette behind the counter, the silver-haired man turned to watch a pair of scantily clad girls grind against each other erotically. One with short black curls was trailing her fingertips across the bared ribs of another girl. She was shaking her ass to the music, and keeping herself as close as possible to the other girl without letting any part of her body other than her fingers and her pelvis touch her.

The sound of the stool next to him, groaning under the weight of another's body made the voyeur turn. Staring at him with a pair of startlingly green eyes shooting a look that would curdle most men's blood sat a man wearing a white hood.

"Yo Kakuzu." A grin threatened to split his face from ear to ear.

"Hidan." Kakuzu seemingly ignored the other man's enthusiasm and continue to stare at him in annoyance. "Why did you call me here? Do you have the money you owe me?"

The grin left Hidan's face at the mention of money. "No I don't fucking have your god damned money. How the fuck do you expect me to make any fucking money if you have my fucking weapon." Kakuzu grunted in annoyance and started to rise from his seat. "Wait. Just fucking wait. I have a proposal." Kakuzu settled his weight into the chair once again and motioned for Hidan to continue. "Alright. So, I got a job."

"Really? Is it a good job? Someone really hired you?" The blond that had been sulking into his cup was now penetrating Hidan's personal space.

"Get tha fuck outta here!" Hidan growled and pushed the boy away, but he was unperturbed. The red head had also joined the group, though he was currently silent.

"Deidara," Kakuzu nodded his head to the blond and motioned for a drink, "Sasori." He acknowledged the chestnut-haired boy with a nod as he took a tentative sip of the amber liquid the bar maid had set in front of him. Deciding it would do, he turned his piercing gaze back to Hidan's, signaling that he should continue.

"Anyways," he drew the word out sulkily "before I was so rudely" his gaze swept over to Deidara "interrupted, I was trying to say that I got a job that is fairly easy and pays fucking great." Kakuzu's mild interest faded away and he focused all of his attention on the foul-mouthed man at the mention of money. "I figure if I complete this job I can pay you back and still have enough money to live comfortably on for a while."

"What's the job?" His question was straight to the point. Kakuzu needed to know if it was something Hidan would be capable of completing.

"Just to rough some kid up. I've done work for this family before." His grin was malicious, and his eyes unseeing as he envisioned all the fun he was going to have.

Kakuzu studied Hidan a moment longer before coming to a decision. "Alright." He stood from his stool, and moved to the back corner of the room where the bulletin board was. Hidan quickly followed, cursing under his breath. Deidara leaned against the counter, pouting, and followed the two men's progress with his eyes while Sasori had pulled something out of his jacket and was messing with it.

Once the men reached the bulletin board, Kakuzu turned and disappeared through a curtained doorway that wasn't visible until you were almost through it. Before Hidan had a chance to follow, the man was back. Hidan was overjoyed to see what he now carried.

It was his scythe. His beautiful scythe. Oh how he had missed it. That bastard, Kakuzu had been keeping it for ransom until he paid his debt back.

Kakuza was a sucker for money. Hidan sometimes even thought that Kakuzu might consider money to be his mistress. One thing was for sure; Kakuzu definitely took matters seriously when they involved money.

_Hidan had taken a job with Kakuzu. Usually he wouldn't even consider pairing up with someone. The amount of money made didn't matter to Hidan. As long as he had enough money to live off of, he was good. What mattered to Hidan was the thrill he got. _

_This particular job promised all the thrill Hidan could handle. However, it wasn't a one man job. _

_Kakuzu had been attracted to the job for the reward: 10,000,000 ryō. Even splitting the money would leave both men well off._

_Hidan was interested in the job because it involved the slaughter of a traveling family. The family was large, and included several body guards that had been hired to protect them. He relished the idea of a challenge. The group of people knew that they were going to be pursued, and they had made sure to hire the best of the best to protect them._

_The job was going well. Hidan and Kakuzu tailed the group to an isolated location, much to Hidan's chagrin, and waited for them to set up camp and set guards for the night. The two of them were to ambush once the majority were in bed._

_Hidan was to launch an assault on the south side of the camp, effectively drawing away all of the guards. Kakuzu had no problem leaving the more difficult opponents to his partner._

_While Hidan occupied, and murdered, the guards, Kakuzu would sneak into the camp and slaughter those that remained. _

_It didn't go as planned. _

_Hidan managed to get the first part right. He engaged the body guards set up to patrol the perimeter of the camp to the south. After killing one, and while engaged in battle with the other, the rest came as back up. They obviously hadn't expected more than one freelancer to take the job. It was almost unheard of for any of them to work together._

_Six more men arrived to help the one that Hidan fought while Kakuzu snuck into the camp and began methodically slaughtering the members of each tent. _

_Too late for either of them, the two men realized that the group had a contingent of another six men that had been trailing __**them**__. They attacked Kakuzu._

_The two men were forced to retreat._

_Unfortunately, the group made it to their destination the next afternoon, where thirty more of their own men were waiting. The bounty hunters that had protected the group got paid, and Kakuzu and Hidan were shit out of luck._

_Kakuzu refused to forgive Hidan for that loss of money. He blamed it on Hidan, saying that it had been his job to fight the bounty hunters, whether they number six or sixteen._

_After some amount of arguing, Kakuzu had seized Hidan's weapon, and proclaimed that he would be keeping it until Hidan could pay him the 5,000,000 ryō that he should have rightfully earned on this job._

_Hidan had fumed at this. Kakuzu had no right to take his weapon! The beautiful, three-bladed scythe was his bread and butter. Without it, Hidan couldn't make any money!_

Hidan allowed a grin to tear across his face as he once again felt the weight of his weapon in his large hands. It was perfect. He could kill again.

"Thanks buddy!" Kakuzu glared at Hidan and turned away.

Deidara met Hidan half way to the exit, and gripped his arm tightly to get his attention. "You got it back, yeah?"

"Fucking obviously." This prick wasn't going to let him leave in peace.

"That's exciting!" Hidan shrugged the blonde's hand away and pushed out the door.

The night was still gloomy, with hardly a star visible, yet Hidan practically skipped in his joy. Vern pretended not to notice, so as to avoid a pummeling.

Inside the club Deidara stood near the exit with a frown on his face, "I really hate that guy, yeah. He doesn't know how to be polite. Always being such a prick. I would jump at the chance to rearrange that smug look on his face."


End file.
